Movement founded in India in 1960 by Sri Hans Ji Maharaj,
who died shortly afterward and was succeeded by his 8-year-old son,
Maharaj Ji. In 1971, Guru Maharaj Ji came to the United States to proclaim
the dawning of a new era. He gained considerable attention and many
followers after arriving in the United States, including Rennie Davis, one
of the "Chicago Seven" political radicals who became a devotee.
Initiates, called "premies," were shown how to obtain "the
Knowledge" as a part of their initiation.

The DLM was said to have developed some 500
centers, or ashrams , in nearly 40 different countries for several
million followers, although these figures are impossible to verify. In
1973, a disastrous rally at the Houston Astrodome left the movement in the
United States in dire financial straits and bereft of credibility. Also,
the guru married his Caucasian secretary in 1974 when he was 17, shocking
many of his followers (he had championed celibacy until his marriage) and
leading to many defections. The movement has faded into relative obscurity
since then.